SEPTEMBER IS INFANT MORTALITY AWARENESS MONTH

Infant Mortality Quick Facts:
Did you know?
• Infant Mortality is the death of a live-born baby before his/her first birthday
• Infant Mortality tells a lot about the overall health of families and communities
• Efforts to reduce infant mortality, improve the overall health of entire community
• Butler County is among the top 10 urban counties in Ohio with the highest infant mortality rates
• The risk of losing an infant in Butler County is greater for:
o Black infants
o Low income families
o Babies who are born too early (before 37 weeks)
o Single mothers
o Mothers who do not have prenatal care or who start prenatal care late
o Babies who are not put to sleep in a safe way: Alone, on the Back and in a Crib (ABCs of Safe Sleep)
o Mothers who smoke or live with someone who smokes
o Mothers who live in our urban areas
• Black infants in Butler County are dying at more than twice the rate of white infants?

Addressing the issue:
The Butler County Partnership to Reduce Infant Mortality (BC PRIM) was formed in 2013 with the support of the Ohio Department of Health (ODH). BC PRIM works with other agencies and our community to improve the health and wellbeing of mothers and infants in Butler County.

Since it was formed, BC PRIM has worked on understanding what causes infant mortality in our community and has developed programs to support and improve the health and wellbeing of our women and infants.
BC PRIM programs include:

• Moms and Babies First (Formerly High Hopes): Community Health Workers visit African American
pregnant women and women with infants until their first birthdays, connect women to services
and provide support for these women
• Safe Sleep Campaign and free Pack N Plays
• Smoking Cessation for pregnant women and their partners
• Centering Pregnancy- a group facilitated prenatal care for highest risk women;
transportation and childcare are provided
• Breastfeeding Support Groups
• Celebrate Fatherhood
• Faith-based programs (NEST & Families First)
• On demand transportation for services that are not covered by Medicaid
How you can help:
• If you are pregnant, enroll in our programs and encourage other pregnant women to enroll
• Learn more and share information about the resources available to pregnant women
and children in our county
• Volunteer at one of our events/campaigns
• Become a distribution site for relevant information and materials
• Make a donation

Contact us for more information or to get involved
The Butler County Partnership to Reduce Infant Mortality (PRIM)
Phone: 513-887-5251
Email: BOH@butlercountyohio.org